Oil tanker collides with frigate off Norway, oil and gas plants shut

Oil tanker collides with frigate off Norway, oil and gas plants shut

An oil tanker carrying a cargo of crude collided with a Norwegian navy frigate off Norway's coast on Thursday, leaving to a shutdown of a North Sea crude terminal, a gas processing plant and several offshore fields.

Oil tanker collides with frigate off Norway, oil and gas plants shut

An oil tanker collided with a navy frigate off Norway's west coast early Thursday.

Forcing the shutdown of a North Sea crude export terminal.... As well as Norway's largest gas processing plant and a number of offshore fields.

The frigate had recently taken part in a NATO exercise and the Norwegian military is investigating.

(SOUNDBITE) (Norwegian) CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER AT NORWEGIAN JOINT HEADQUARTERS, EYSTEIN KVARVING, SAYING: "The Accident Investigation Board Norway will be involved today, they're sending a team over sometime during the day.

It's very important from our side not to contribute to any speculation." Rescuers said 137 crew members were evacuated from the frigate - eight had minor injuries, The oil tanker had left Equinor's Sture oil terminal carrying a cargo of crude.

A Norwegian rescue leader said there was no sign of a leak from the ship.